The morning started with our first banh mi opla experience. Banh Mi Opla (pronounced 'bahn me o-plah') is a traditional Vietnamese breakfast sandwich sold on virtually every corner. It usually consists of 2 eggs inside a baguette along with the option of beef, cucumber, tomato, and cilantro topped with soy sauce. It's delicious! We sat down in a Vietnamese café and enjoyed being the only tourists in the entire place. The other must-try treat of Vietnam is their coffee, much different than a Western style morning brew. There are 2 traditional options; café Saigon (iced espresso with condensed milk) or café da (espresso on ice with sugar) Both will have your heart pumping and enough energy to last for hours. Fully fueled, we were ready to head to the Tam Ky Baby Orphanage. I knew I'd probably have to drag a few cyclists out once they got to meet the kids!
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| Natasha and Steve demonstrating proper Bahn Mi Opla form |
Since I had a minor (minor mom, MINOR) incident a few days earlier, I was out of commission for the biking aspect and arrived early to the Orphanage. I wish the cyclists could have seen the massive effort the caretakers made to have the kids ready to greet everyone as they cycled up to the door! Unfortunately, the attention span of 1-5 year old kids is the same across cultures and continents and after realizing that the van is a biiiit faster than cyclists, the enthusiastic greeting had to be forgotten.
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| After 5 minutes, the only 2 curious kids left! |
When the cyclists did arrive, the attention returned fully and I'm sure we'd all like to believe these young children were so enraptured with us due to our incredible athletic accomplishment or our wonderful fundraising initiatives but I have a feeling it was more the frozen yogurt and stickers that came with us. Shireen's clever idea to brings heaps of stickers and the bikers handing out yogurts to each and every kid meant we again were the stars! After helping everyone to their snacks, it was time to head in and learn more about the kids and the Orphanage they call home.
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| Betsy and her new admirer |
The Tam Ky baby orphanage houses roughly 35 children ages 0-6 from around Vietnam. The term "orphan" is used in Vietnam to indicate a child either has no parents or 1 parent still alive. For many single parents or children raised by extended family, especially those living and working in the countryside, they cannot afford to take care of their children and realize they have a better opportunity and quality of life if they are in an orphanage. The bad news is that not all orphanages are well taken care of or have enough staff to fully support the children. The good news is that the Tam Ky baby orphanage is not one of them! The ultimate goal for the Tam Ky baby orphanage is for every child to attend and complete elementary school while still in the orphanage. GVN Vietnam sends volunteers to the orphanage to provide vitamins, extra food and to teach English and music. Part of the fee volunteers pay also helps to cover the salary of the teachers and nurse. What I'm so excited about is that through the fundraising efforts of the cyclists, further educational and medical needs of the children will be met. Their hard work will change the lives of 35 children who deserve the very best foundation for their future!
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| Still trying to figure out how to sneak this one home with me! |
Caitie Goddard
GVN Foundation
Program Development Coordinator
To support the children we are fund-raising for,
click here!
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